Drum rudiments to learn first

Rudiments are short sticking patterns that build control, speed, and evenness. Think of them as scales for drummers.

How to read sticking

R means a right-hand stroke and L means a left-hand stroke. A capital letter is an accent, a louder stroke, and a lowercase letter is softer. Play each pattern slowly and evenly before you speed up.

1. Single stroke roll

Alternate hands on every note. It is the foundation for everything else.

R L R L R L R L

2. Double stroke roll

Play each hand twice before switching. The second stroke is a controlled bounce.

R R L L R R L L

3. Single paradiddle

A single stroke pair followed by a double. Accent the first note of every group. It teaches you to lead with either hand.

R l r r   L r l l

4. Flam

A quiet grace note right before a louder main note, so the two almost sound like one fat stroke. The grace note starts low, close to the drum.

lR   rL   lR   rL

5. Five-stroke roll

Two double strokes ending in a single accented stroke. Often used to finish a phrase.

R R L L R   L L R R L

Practice tips

• Use a metronome and start slow, around 60 beats per minute.
• Keep your grip loose. Let the stick bounce instead of squeezing it.
• Make both hands sound the same before adding speed.
• Practice a few minutes every day. Short and regular beats long and rare.

Practice them in VR

Pick the Click pattern in DRUM VR’s rhythm helper at a slow tempo and play a rudiment on the snare. The stick tips are easy to watch, and you can change their color in Look > Sticks if you want them to stand out.

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